This invention relates to a process for the production of ketones, more particularly to the conversion of an alkene to a ketone by treatment with hydrated molybdenum (VI) oxide and water.
Ketones are well known and have many uses. The individual ketones and molecular mixtures as prepared by the subject invention are in general useful as solvents in the chemical and manufacturing arts.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,255,238 to Roelen et al discloses a process for the production of materials such as C.sub.4 and lower aldehydes, ketones, etc., by contacting propylene or isobutylene with oxygen in the presence of a catalyst consisting essentially of molybdenum oxide-phosphoric acid-boric acid.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,419,618 to Hirsch et al discloses a process for preparing acetaldehyde from ethylene by reacting ethylene with oxygen in the presence of a palladium oxide catalyst.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,874,191 to Foreman et al discloses a process for producing acetone from propylene by contacting the propylene in the absence of molecular oxygen with a composition comprising bismuth phosphomolybdate on a support selected from alumina and alumina-silica. According to the disclosure, preferably the reaction is carried out in the presence of water. According to the Foreman disclosure, the bismuth phosphomolybdate has the formula: EQU Bi.sub.x P.sub.y Mo.sub.12 O.sub.z
where: x may be 1 to 12; y may be 1 to 6; z may be 40 to about 88; and any compound within this formula is suitable.
Hucknall et al, in "Selective Oxidation of Hydrocarbons", Academic Press (1974), discuss the use of bismuth oxide-molybdenum oxide (Bi.sub.2 O.sub.3 -MoO.sub.3) as catalyst for the oxidation of hydrocarbons -- for example, the oxidation of propylene to acrolein (propenal). Hucknall et al point out at page 32 that molybdenum oxide has a low activity compared to the bismuth oxide-molybdenum oxide catalyst and, in fact, has a lower activity than bismuth oxide has in reactions such as oxidation of propylene.